Tarot reading for April 2020

Here’s your tarot reading for April 2020. I’m using the Wild Unknown Archetype cards to pull the theme or energy that we are being called to focus on as a collective this month, and two tarot cards from the Wild Unknown Tarot Deck to provide some additional guidance and clarity on how we can best use and understand the archetypal messages.

This reading is particularly potent for the times we are in, as it speaks directly to our experiences and responses to the unprecedented global pandemic that has impacted the entire world. So, let’s get right into it.

Energy forecast for April 2020: The archetypal energy

April presents us with the archetype of The Underworld. It appears like a dark and foreboding place – vines twisting around crazily, eyes looking out at us from from between the vines, monsters and creepy crawlies all around. 

At first glance, this is a rather scary card. Scratch that, this is a scary card. Because the underworld is the realm of everything that is unknown and forgotten. And when we are in the realm of the unknown, it can feel like there are monsters hiding behind every corner. 

There is no sugarcoating this – The Underworld is the Archetype of nightmares and suffering. It is the darkest shadow realm that we do everything we can to avoid. 
But The Underworld pulls all of us in, at one point or the other, through conflict, illness, war, and ultimately, death. The more we deny it, the more power we give it. 

The times we are in now, with a global pandemic that has impacted people across the world, is an underworld story. 

In the blink of an eye, the world as we know it has changed. There’s a deadly virus sweeping through the globe; most of the world is in self-isolation; borders are shut; my country – India – is in lockdown, as are many other countries worldwide.

Some of us have lost jobs overnight, some of us are uncertain if we will have a job or a business to return to when this is all over. Those of us with auto-immune diseases and with older parents and loved ones are afraid if everyone will come through this alive. 
These are all very valid fears. 

By being forced to confront these fears on a global scale, as a global people, we have a unique opportunity to see how similar we all are at a basic, human level. Going through underworld journeys such as this one can also help us to tap into our inner strength and build resilience, which serves us well throughout our lives.

It is an unprecedented time we are in, with a global pandemic raging across the globe. And as with any underworld journey, both the shadow and light become very apparent to us. It is now up to each and every one of us to make the choice – will we go through the underworld, sucked into the nightmare and horror and allow the shadow to overtake us; or will we look at all the shadow material and find the courage to choose the light?

Let me give you an example. In recent days, certain sections of the media and society have started calling the COVID-19 or the coronavirus the Chinese virus or the Wuhan virus, since it originated there. Point out to them that this is racist, and they point out the Spanish Flu, Ebola virus, etc. as justification for indulging in this racist behaviour.

This is the shadow at work.

Yes, it is true that China hid the viral outbreak from the world. It is also true that they should have informed the WHO of the gravity of the situation much earlier. And it is true that China was the epicenter of this breakout.

We can hold these facts, and hold China and its government accountable, without otherizing and discriminating against the entire Chinese population. When we do this, we choose the light.

There are numerous such polarities that are arising – both at the collective and the personal level – for all of us during this time.

This is typical of underworld journeys, which is what we find ourselves in currently: they tend to throw up a lot of shadow material in to teach us to pull on our inner strength and equip us to face the darkness and choose the light.

The story of Goddess Inanna’s descent into the underworld is one of the earliest stories of descent on record. And her journey – both her descent into the underworld and her ascent – can serve as a map for us during this time.

Through her descent into darkness, Inanna shed the trappings of her former self, confronted her “shadow”, and was re-born, a complete individual, wholly aware.

As we go through these times, we too as individuals and as a collective are called to purge the egoic trappings that have kept us in separation. It is only by confronting the depths of our shadow land that we can emerge stronger – changed, perhaps, for the better. 

Tarot reading for April 2020: Anchoring in the archetypal energy

Pulling this down from the archetypal realm and anchoring the energy into the mundane human world is the story told to us by the Six of Pentacles and The Ace of Pentacles, and specifically how they relate to these times we are in.

First up, I will say this: these cards bring us gifts and hope and an opportunity for new beginnings.

The lock-downs, self-isolation, and social distancing have impacted all of us in different ways. Uncertainty, anxiety, and panic are at an all-time high. The challenge for us here is to allow ourselves to sit with the unknown, with the uncertainty of these times. To know that it is ok to not have all the answers. To cry if we need to, to rest if we have to, to do nothing if that is what feels right. 

For too long we have been a culture that values busy-ness. Now, however, we been forced to pause. How we use this pause is up to each one of us. We can continue in the same old patterns, or we can forge new ways of being and doing things. That is the real gift of this time. 

There is also an opportunity to change how we interact with each other in our personal relationships; to change the dynamics of partnerships and relationship models of care giving. For too long, it has been a woman’s responsibility to look after the home {at least in the traditional Indian context.} This time can help us to bring about a change in that dynamic as well.

This is just one small example of the kinds of changes we are being called to make. Everyone’s situation will be different – it is up to each one of us to examine our structures and work out what needs to be dismantled, changed, or tweaked.

A new seed, a new beginning is being offered to us here. A chance to start over, to reset, to think in new ways and come up with radical new ideas. 

Compassion, empathy, and kindness – both towards ourselves and to the people around us – are the medicine being offered to us at this time, with the current pandemic.

One place where we are already seeing this is in how businesses – both big and small – have stepped up to support their communities. Be it corporations like Audible that have put out free access to their audio books; or artists who have offered free or deeply discounted e-courses; or small businesses that are harnessing live-streaming technology to connect with their audiences at this time. There is a sense of a shared community that has been fostered – how businesses choose to weave this into their business models is something that we will likely see once things settle down.

The other area where this compassion and outreach is visible is in neighborhood communities, where people are coming together to support one another. In my complex, for example, the Resident’s Welfare Association is looking after four families who are in quarantine after they tested positive. Members from my complex have also come together to support a large group of construction workers who are stuck here, without access to much money or supplies, due to the lock-down.

At the other end of this spectrum {illustrating again the shadow side of this time} are people who have ostracized not just those who have tested positive, but also doctors and nurses who are at the frontline of fighting this pandemic. This is an example of fear and shadow winning, drowning out compassion and empathy.

Again, the opportunity is there for us as a global community to make a choice – will we continue to live in fear, which is the “old paradigm”, or will we decide that we need to do better, and turn towards a new paradigm – a new way of showing up for people and communities around us.

There are numerous such green shoots that are emerging from this otherwise gloomy underworld landscape. And all of these ask us to rethink our relationship with work and rest; with nature and policy making; with how we choose to show up for our communities and with our loved ones. 

As we go through these times, the invitation for us is to really examine how we show up for ourselves and for our loved ones. How we can do better for one another. What old systems and beliefs need to be stripped away. And what we want to see more of. 

When we return to normal times, it will be up to each one of us to take what we have learned in this crisis and build new habits and new ways of being and showing up in the world. 

Interested in learning about Astrology, Tarot, mixed media and developing your intuition?

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